Chapters

• 0:00 Intro: The results say fourth
• 0:48 Meet Carolyn
• 8:11 The swim
• 16:37 The bike
• 21:15 "The grass is green, the sky is blue"
• 24:40 The run and the mile 22 cramps
• 32:57 Fueling and cooling on hot courses
• 36:48 The accident on the bike course
• 37:41 Road safety for triathletes
• 40:54 Everyone's on a hero's journey
• 42:57 Advice for new long-course athletes
• 46:10 Race kit shadow boxes and wrap-up

If you are training for a Triathlon or Run event of any distance from your first 10k to your first full IRONMAN and beyond, connect with Jill to talk about how to take your performance to the next level! Jill is the Head Coach and owner of Be Fierce Multisport is a full time, professional coach and works with athletes of all skill levels.

We also specialize in training for runDisney race, as Jill is an avid runDisney fan with 7 Dopey finishes and nearly 100 Disney races under her legs - she knows the courses and how to train for them!

Click here to schedule a consultation

Tired of cycling in your basement alone? Peloton and Zwift has gotten old? Try live online group cycling with Be Fierce Multisport - now in Beta and accepting founding members!

Join our virtual group cycling beta at 👉 https://fierce.li/cycling

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

• The plane crash that left Scott with less than a 3% chance of survival
• The fisherman and former Special Forces medic who helped save his life
• Losing his best friend, Captain Owen “Wynn” Duke
• The three promises Scott made during his recovery
• How triathlon helped rebuild his identity and physical strength
• The tough-love conversation that changed the course of his rehabilitation
• Riding across the country to promote blood and tissue donation
• Returning to racing only 13 months after the crash
• Finishing the Marine Corps Marathon and carrying the medal to Arlington
• Meeting and building a life with his wife, Amy
• Amy’s battle with glioblastoma and the lessons she left behind
• Becoming an IRONMAN Foundation athlete
• Why Kona represents far more than a finish line

00:00 Introduction
00:50 Meet Scott Christmas
02:51 Finding triathlon after a life-changing injury
06:30 The flight with Captain Owen “Wynn” Duke
07:29 The plane stalls and crashes
12:00 Trapped underwater and rescued
15:49 Three promises made in the hospital
19:00 Why endurance sports attract people who have experienced trauma
25:31 The tough-love conversation that changed Scott’s recovery
32:50 Meeting Larry Frederick and discovering a new purpose
35:33 Being asked to lead a cross-country ride
37:43 Scott’s first race after the crash
40:17 Keeping the first promise
44:32 Training for the Marine Corps Marathon
49:32 Leaving a finishers medal at Arlington
50:50 Meeting Amy
55:54 The first signs that something was wrong
59:02 Amy’s brain-tumor diagnosis
64:20 Amy crosses her final finish line
67:27 The third promise
69:18 The call that led Scott back to Kona
71:36 Why this race is bigger than Scott
73:26 Closing and IRONMAN Foundation support

Scotts fundraising link:

https://ironmanfoundation.donordrive.com/participant/4123

If you are training for a Triathlon or Run event of any distance from your first 10k to your first full IRONMAN and beyond, connect with Jill to talk about how to take your performance to the next level! Jill is the Head Coach and owner of Be Fierce Multisport is a full time, professional coach and works with athletes of all skill levels.

We also specialize in training for runDisney race, as Jill is an avid runDisney fan with 7 Dopey finishes and nearly 100 Disney races under her legs - she knows the courses and how to train for them!

Click here to schedule a consultation

Tired of cycling in your basement alone? Peloton and Zwift has gotten old? Try live online group cycling with Be Fierce Multisport - now in Beta and accepting founding members!

Join our virtual group cycling beta at 👉 https://fierce.li/cycling

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For 33 years, Mike Reilly was one of the most recognizable voices in endurance sports.

As the legendary Voice of IRONMAN, Mike witnessed thousands upon thousands of moments when months—or years—of work came down to a single finish line.

Now he's asking a different question:

What comes next?

Jill sits down with Mike for a wide-ranging conversation about endurance sports, life, purpose, coaching, family, and the lessons behind his new book, Finding Your Finish Line.

They talk about why a finish line isn't necessarily the destination we imagine it to be, and why accomplishing something enormous doesn't automatically bring happiness or answer the question of what comes next.

Mike also opens up about his own transition away from IRONMAN announcing. After decades of travel and weekends away from his family, leaving the microphone gave him something he hadn't had in years: time. But it also meant stepping away from a community that had become his second family.

• How a kid from Toledo ended up becoming the Voice of IRONMAN
• Why the finish line can actually be the beginning
• The greatest IRONMAN finish-line call Mike ever made
• What Mike missed most after stepping away from announcing
• Why our “why” changes throughout our lives
• Staying present instead of living in the past or future
• The relationship between endurance sports and healthy aging
• What Mike believes separates great coaches from everyone else
• Why the best coaches are often the best listeners
• Mike's picks for underrated IRONMAN courses
• The first athlete Mike ever called across an IRONMAN finish line
• The unforgettable dog who ran through the IRONMAN Arizona finish chute
• Why technology and AI can't replace human connection
• The “arrival fallacy” and why achieving the big goal doesn't automatically make us happy
• Knowing when it's time to find your next finish line
• Why Mike says, “You are the cause of your own experience”
• Finding start lines that scare you
• Why nobody can ultimately motivate you better than you

Mike's message is simple but powerful: we don't control everything that happens around us. We do control how we respond, where we go next, and whether we're willing to take that first step.

Learn more about Mike, his new book, speaking, and his podcast at:

Mike Reilly: https://mikereilly.net/

You can find Mike's new book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HFG73C6H

Learn more about coaching, training plans, professional bike fitting, the Be Fierce & Tri Club, and everything happening at Be Fierce Multisport:

https://befiercemultisport.com/

Be Fierce. Be You.

If you are training for a Triathlon or Run event of any distance from your first 10k to your first full IRONMAN and beyond, connect with Jill to talk about how to take your performance to the next level! Jill is the Head Coach and owner of Be Fierce Multisport is a full time, professional coach and works with athletes of all skill levels.

We also specialize in training for runDisney race, as Jill is an avid runDisney fan with 7 Dopey finishes and nearly 100 Disney races under her legs - she knows the courses and how to train for them!

Click here to schedule a consultation

Tired of cycling in your basement alone? Peloton and Zwift has gotten old? Try live online group cycling with Be Fierce Multisport - now in Beta and accepting founding members!

Join our virtual group cycling beta at 👉 https://fierce.li/cycling

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We hit 700,000 downloads—and after a few unexpected weeks away from the microphone, Jill is back.

For this episode, she’s joined in person by Nicki Atkinson, the newest coach at Be Fierce Multisport, for a conversation that starts with Nicki’s story and ends up getting at something much bigger: what exactly are we building at Be Fierce?

Nicki shares how watching Julie Moss crawl toward the Ironman finish line planted the seed for triathlon, how she eventually found her way into the sport herself, and why helping athletes accomplish things they didn’t think were possible pulled her toward coaching.

Jill also talks about the cycling crash and concussion that kept her away from the podcast for a few weeks, including the strange process of figuring out a return to training and the role AI played in helping her organize the questions she needed to answer. That leads to a bigger conversation about AI and coaching: a training plan is relatively easy to generate. Understanding the human being trying to execute it is something else entirely.

They also dig into women’s participation in endurance sports, some of the barriers that keep people from getting started, the increasing cost and complexity of triathlon, and why creating access and community matters.

And then there’s everything happening at Be Fierce: coaching, bike fitting, the bike shop, an endurance-focused training space, group cycling, the podcast, and the growing Be Fierce & Tri Club. They may look like separate things, but they’re all being built around the same idea.

You don’t have to be the fastest person in the room. You don’t have to have the perfect equipment. You don’t even have to know exactly what you’re doing yet.

If there’s something hard you want to take on, yes, you can.

Be Fierce. Be You. You Belong Here.

In this episode:

Meet Coach Nicki Atkinson

The moment that made Nicki want to become a triathlete

Jill’s return after her cycling crash and concussion

Why a coach is more than a training plan

ChatGPT, AI and the limits of automated coaching

Women, confidence and participation in endurance sports

Making triathlon and endurance training more accessible

The Be Fierce training center, cycling studio and bike shop

Why bike fitting belongs in the same ecosystem

Nicki’s road to her first Ironman at Lake Placid

Why we created the Be Fierce & Tri Club

What “You Belong Here” means to us

The discussion of Jill’s concussion and return to training reflects her personal experience and is not medical advice.

If you are training for a Triathlon or Run event of any distance from your first 10k to your first full IRONMAN and beyond, connect with Jill to talk about how to take your performance to the next level! Jill is the Head Coach and owner of Be Fierce Multisport is a full time, professional coach and works with athletes of all skill levels.

We also specialize in training for runDisney race, as Jill is an avid runDisney fan with 7 Dopey finishes and nearly 100 Disney races under her legs - she knows the courses and how to train for them!

Click here to schedule a consultation

Tired of cycling in your basement alone? Peloton and Zwift has gotten old? Try live online group cycling with Be Fierce Multisport - now in Beta and accepting founding members!

Join our virtual group cycling beta at 👉 https://fierce.li/cycling

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Professional triathlete Carolyn Olsen joins the podcast to discuss her journey from age-group athlete to professional racer and the lessons she's learned along the way.

From qualifying for Kona and winning IRONMAN Texas as an amateur to overcoming mechanical failures, DNFs, and race-day adversity, Carolyn shares the highs, lows, and realities of competing at the highest level of long-course triathlon.

Jill and Carolyn also dive into:

• What separates professional racing from age-group competition
• Why a DNF is not the end of your story
• Managing open-water anxiety
• Building confidence through experience
• Why coaching matters more than simply training harder
• Finding perspective when races don't go according to plan

This episode is a reminder that every finish line—and every setback—has something to teach us.

🌐 https://befiercemultisport.com

📸 Instagram: @thetrimom

🎙️ Be Fierce & Tri Podcast

If you are training for a Triathlon or Run event of any distance from your first 10k to your first full IRONMAN and beyond, connect with Jill to talk about how to take your performance to the next level! Jill is the Head Coach and owner of Be Fierce Multisport is a full time, professional coach and works with athletes of all skill levels.

We also specialize in training for runDisney race, as Jill is an avid runDisney fan with 7 Dopey finishes and nearly 100 Disney races under her legs - she knows the courses and how to train for them!

Click here to schedule a consultation

Tired of cycling in your basement alone? Peloton and Zwift has gotten old? Try live online group cycling with Be Fierce Multisport - now in Beta and accepting founding members!

Join our virtual group cycling beta at 👉 https://fierce.li/cycling

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What was it really like to race IRONMAN Lake Placid 2026?

Fresh off the finish line, Coach Jill Bartholomew sits down with fellow triathlon coach Thomas Skelton to unpack one of the most memorable editions of IRONMAN Lake Placid in recent years.

From smoky skies caused by Canadian wildfires to surprisingly windy bike conditions, crowded swims, mechanical mishaps, and the mental challenges of adapting when race day doesn't go according to plan, this episode is an honest conversation between two experienced coaches who also happened to be racing.

Whether you're preparing for your first Ironman, chasing a Kona qualification, or simply love hearing behind-the-scenes stories from one of triathlon's most iconic races, you'll come away with practical lessons that apply well beyond Lake Placid.

• Race week in Lake Placid, including wildfire smoke, changing weather, and race-day conditions
• Why this year's swim felt more physical than previous editions
• Swim pacing, drafting, and navigating crowded open-water starts
• The Lake Placid bike course, including the Keene descent and changing wind conditions
• Equipment decisions and the challenges of racing on new equipment
• Common race-day mechanical problems and how to prepare for them
• Racing while simultaneously coaching athletes
• The value of volunteering at triathlon events
• Mental strategies for adapting when your race doesn't unfold as planned
• Lessons both coaches will take into future races

🌐 Be Fierce Multisport
https://befiercemultisport.com

🎙️ Follow the Be Fierce & Tri Podcast for weekly conversations about triathlon, endurance sports, runDisney, cycling, training, coaching, nutrition, and the stories that inspire athletes to chase big goals.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a training partner—it helps us reach more athletes every week.

Be Fierce. Be You.

If you are training for a Triathlon or Run event of any distance from your first 10k to your first full IRONMAN and beyond, connect with Jill to talk about how to take your performance to the next level! Jill is the Head Coach and owner of Be Fierce Multisport is a full time, professional coach and works with athletes of all skill levels.

We also specialize in training for runDisney race, as Jill is an avid runDisney fan with 7 Dopey finishes and nearly 100 Disney races under her legs - she knows the courses and how to train for them!

Click here to schedule a consultation

Tired of cycling in your basement alone? Peloton and Zwift has gotten old? Try live online group cycling with Be Fierce Multisport - now in Beta and accepting founding members!

Join our virtual group cycling beta at 👉 https://fierce.li/cycling

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever wondered whether that lingering ache is just soreness—or the beginning of a real injury?

In this episode of the Be Fierce & Tri Podcast, Coach Jill Bartholomew is joined by physical therapist, triathlon coach, bike fitter, and fellow endurance athlete Dr. Steph Peterson for an honest conversation about injuries, recovery, and staying healthy for the long haul.

Steph shares her personal journey through stress fractures, underfueling, ankle injuries, and balancing triathlon through every season of life—from junior elite racing to motherhood, coaching, and opening her own physical therapy practice.

Together, Jill and Steph discuss what endurance athletes can do to reduce their injury risk, recognize warning signs before they become major setbacks, and build a training routine that supports long-term success.

• Why injuries happen—even to experienced athletes
• The difference between soreness and pain that shouldn't be ignored
• Why underfueling is still one of the biggest mistakes endurance athletes make
• How strength training helps prevent common triathlon injuries
• The importance of proper bike fit and when it's time for a refit
• How HRV and other training metrics should (and shouldn't) guide training
• The mental side of recovering from injury and disappointing race performances
• Practical strategies to stay healthy while training for marathons, IRONMAN®, 70.3, and other endurance events

Whether you're training for your first sprint triathlon, your next marathon, the Dopey Challenge, or chasing a personal best at IRONMAN, this episode is packed with practical advice you can start applying immediately.

Dr. Steph Peterson is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, endurance coach, professional bike fitter, and longtime triathlete. She works with endurance athletes to help them recover from injuries, optimize movement, and return to racing stronger than ever.

If you are training for a Triathlon or Run event of any distance from your first 10k to your first full IRONMAN and beyond, connect with Jill to talk about how to take your performance to the next level! Jill is the Head Coach and owner of Be Fierce Multisport is a full time, professional coach and works with athletes of all skill levels.

We also specialize in training for runDisney race, as Jill is an avid runDisney fan with 7 Dopey finishes and nearly 100 Disney races under her legs - she knows the courses and how to train for them!

Click here to schedule a consultation

Tired of cycling in your basement alone? Peloton and Zwift has gotten old? Try live online group cycling with Be Fierce Multisport - now in Beta and accepting founding members!

Join our virtual group cycling beta at 👉 https://fierce.li/cycling

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship is returning to the United States in 2027—and specifically, to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

If you've spent any time in triathlon circles recently, you've probably seen the reactions online. Some athletes are thrilled. Others are wondering why Chattanooga was selected over more "exotic" destinations.

In this episode, I sit down with Triathlon Joe, one of the sport's most recognizable voices on social media and a Chattanooga local, to talk about what athletes can realistically expect from the return of Worlds to the Scenic City.

We discuss:

• Why Chattanooga was the worst-kept secret in triathlon
• Why the World Championship course likely won't be the same as the annual 70.3 course
• The legendary Chattanooga swim and the challenges of swimming upstream
• What the 2017 World Championship course looked like
• The brutal reality of racing in Tennessee heat and humidity in August
• Logistics, travel, and why Chattanooga may be one of the easiest World Championship venues to navigate
• Qualification roll-downs and whether demand for Chattanooga will be different than recent European championships
• The incredible triathlon community that makes Chattanooga a special place to race
• Why community, friendships, and connection keep so many of us coming back to this sport year after year

Whether you're hoping to qualify for Chattanooga, considering racing there, or simply love talking about the future of our sport, this episode offers an inside look at one of triathlon's most talked-about announcements.

Train with purpose. Race with confidence. And as always…

Be Fierce. Be You.

If you are training for a Triathlon or Run event of any distance from your first 10k to your first full IRONMAN and beyond, connect with Jill to talk about how to take your performance to the next level! Jill is the Head Coach and owner of Be Fierce Multisport is a full time, professional coach and works with athletes of all skill levels.

We also specialize in training for runDisney race, as Jill is an avid runDisney fan with 7 Dopey finishes and nearly 100 Disney races under her legs - she knows the courses and how to train for them!

Click here to schedule a consultation

Tired of cycling in your basement alone? Peloton and Zwift has gotten old? Try live online group cycling with Be Fierce Multisport - now in Beta and accepting founding members!

Join our virtual group cycling beta at 👉 https://fierce.li/cycling

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.